Fire lighter



Jan. 18, 1938. s. CLEVENGER 2,105,522

FIRE LIGHTER Filed NOV. 11, 1935 INVENTOR.

HG. BY 5HEeMA/Y [Lave/vase Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to fire lighters and more especially to a lighter in the form of a gas torch that is adapted to be positioned beneath the grate of a stove or furnace for the purpose of igniting the fuel thereon.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a lighter that will be simple in construction, eflicient in operation and convenient to use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lighter that will be adapted for use with various types of grates and that will also be so constructed that it will remain in any position in which it is placed under a grate.

Other objects of the invention and the features of novelty will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, of which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a stove showing one form of lighter in position therein.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the use of the lighter in a stove having a different type of grate.

2 Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the lighter and its support in position beneath the grate of a furnace.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the lighter shown in Fig. 1.

30 Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a transverse section on the line 'l-'| of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 88 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that my improved lighter consists of a tubular casting, the central portion of which is of rectangular cross section,-as indicated at ID. The upper and 40 lower surfaces of this rectangular portion are corrugated, as indicated at H and I2 and the inner end of the lighter is turned up substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the lighter, as indicated at I3, and the terminal 45 portion of this turned-up end is tapered, as indicated at M, and provided with a circumferential series of discharge orifices l5. It will be noted that the terminal portion extends considerably beyond the orifices !5 so that, when the 50 lighter is used in a stove having a grate of the form illustrated at IS, in Fig. 3, the end of the tapered portion is will engage with the under side of the grate and space the orifices l5 away from the grate so that the latter will not inter- 55 fere with the discharge of the gas mixture from any of the orifices. The opposite end of the lighter is enlarged, as indicated at I1, and provided with air inlet ports I8 and a central screw threaded opening to receive the nipple I9 to which a supply hose 2!! may be connected. This supply 1 hose will be of suitable length to extend to the valved end of a gas supply pipe 2| which may be located in any convenient relation to the stove.

As will be noted from Fig, 3, the lighter is adapted to rest on the erge of the ash pan of the 10 stove, as indicated at 22, and the portion of the lighter which projects exteriorly of the ash pan, together with the hose thereon, will be sufficient to hold the lighter with its up-turned end in engagement with the under side of the grate I6. 15

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated the lighter in position in a stove having triangular grate bars 23 between which the up-turned end of the lighter is adapted to be arranged. In this case the lighter also rests on the ash pan, as indicated at 24, and the corrugated upper surface I I of the lighter will engage one of the grate bars l3 and the lighter due to the weight of the hose on its outer end will thus be held in position, as explained above. 25

In cases where there is no ash pan in the stove, or in the case of a furnace, it is necessary to support the lighter in a different manner than shown in Figs. 2 and 3. For such cases I secure to the lighter a supporting device consisting of a strip of relatively soft steel or iron having a portion 25 which is arranged on the upper surface of the lighter and adjustable longitudinally thereon. A clip 26 secures the support to the lighter and is clamped in position by means of a bolt 21. The outer end portion of the support is provided with a return bend 28 the terminal portion of which is bent at right angles and formed into a loop 29 which is adapted to engage the shaft 30 of a grate bar, as shown in Fig. 4. In this way the lighter may be suspended beneath the grate 3| and the adjustability of the support longitudinally of the lighter adapts the device to furnaces of different size so as to make it possible to position the orifices l5 beneath the center of the grate. By making the support of relatively soft steel or iron the bent portion 28 thereof may be conveniently positioned to locate the lighter at the proper elevation with reference to the grate, and the loop 29 may be bent to conform to the size of the shaft of the grate bar, thus making it possible to adapt the support to various makes and sizes of furnaces and stoves.

In using the lighter for a stove having an ash pan (see Figs. 2 and 3) the ash pit door 32 is open, the gas turned on at the connection 2|, and the gas issuing from the orifices l5 is-ignited. The lighter is then positioned in the ash pit so as to rest on the edge ofthe ash pan and against the under side of the grate, and is allowed to remain in this position until the fuel on the grate has become ignited. The lighter is then removed, the valve at the connection 2| is closed, and the lighter hung in a convenient position for subsequent use. In using the lighter in a furnace, such as illustrated in Fig. 4, the ash pit door 33 is open and, after the gas has been ignited the lighter is placed in position, as shown, with the loop 29 engaging the shaft 30 of the grate so that the lighter will thus be supported in proper relation to the grate until the fuel on the grate has become ignited. The lighter is then removed from the furnace and, after the gas has been shut off, it is hung up for subsequent use. 7

By making the central portion of the lighter of rectangular cross section, substantially fiat upper and lower surfaces are provided which will hold the lighter from turning over or rolling out of its proper position due to the reaction of the flexible hose 20 thereon. The provision of the corrugations H and I2 will also assist in holding the lighter in its proper position when installed as illustrated in Figs 2 and 3, because of the engagement of the corrugations with the ash pan and grate in Fig. 2 and with the ash pan in Fig. 3.

While I have illustrated and described what I now consider to be the preferred form of my invention, it will be apparent that changes may be made-in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A fire lighter comprising a tube having its central portion of rectangular cross section and transversely corrugated areas on its upper and lower sides, said tube having a turned-up end provided with a series of discharge orifices inclined to the axis of said turned-up end, the terminal portion of said turned-up end being tapered and projecting beyond'the plane of said orifices, and the opposite end of said tube having means for supplying gas and air thereto.

SHERMAN CLEVENGER. 

